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Is "no compulsion in religion" abrogated?

2:256
لا اكراه في الدين قد تبين الرشد من الغي فمن يكفر بالطاغوت ويومن بالله فقد استمسك بالعروة الوثقى لا انفصام لها والله سميع عليم ٢٥٦
لَآ إِكْرَاهَ فِى ٱلدِّينِ ۖ قَد تَّبَيَّنَ ٱلرُّشْدُ مِنَ ٱلْغَىِّ ۚ فَمَن يَكْفُرْ بِٱلطَّـٰغُوتِ وَيُؤْمِنۢ بِٱللَّهِ فَقَدِ ٱسْتَمْسَكَ بِٱلْعُرْوَةِ ٱلْوُثْقَىٰ لَا ٱنفِصَامَ لَهَا ۗ وَٱللَّهُ سَمِيعٌ عَلِيمٌ ٢٥٦
لَآﳎ
إِكۡرَاهَﳏ
فِيﳐ
ٱلدِّينِۖﳑﳒ
قَدﳓ
تَّبَيَّنَﳔ
ٱلرُّشۡدُﳕ
مِنَﳖ
ٱلۡغَيِّۚﳗﳘ
فَمَنﳙ
يَكۡفُرۡﳚ
بِٱلطَّٰغُوتِﳛ
وَيُؤۡمِنۢﳜ
بِٱللَّهِﳝ
فَقَدِﳞ
ٱسۡتَمۡسَكَﳟ
بِٱلۡعُرۡوَةِﳠ
ٱلۡوُثۡقَىٰﳡ
لَاﳢ
ٱنفِصَامَﳣ
لَهَاۗﳤﳥ
وَٱللَّهُﳦ
سَمِيعٌﳧ
عَلِيمٌﳨ
٢٥٦ﳩ
Let there be no compulsion in religion, for the truth stands out clearly from falsehood.1 So whoever renounces false gods and believes in Allah has certainly grasped the firmest, unfailing hand-hold. And Allah is All-Hearing, All-Knowing.
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Is "no compulsion in religion" abrogated?

Tafsir

Answer

Imām Ibn al-Jawzī (d. 597/1201) summarized the scholars' opinions in his book "Zād al-Masīr" as follows:

  1. Some maintained that it is operative (muḥkam) and considered it a general statement with specific exceptions, meaning that the People of the Book are not forced to accept Islam but are given a choice between embracing it or paying the levy (jizyah). [Reported from Ibn ʿAbbās, Mujāhid, Qatādah]

Ibn al-Anbārī stated: "The meaning of the verse is that religion is not what one outwardly professes under compulsion, without the heart testifying to it or the conscience embracing it; rather, religion is what is firmly established in the heart."

  1. Another group took the view that the verse is abrogated, stating that it was revealed before the command to engage in combat. According to their view, it is abrogated by the verse of the sword (Ed: usually taken to mean 9:5). [Al-Ḍaḥḥāk, al-Suddī, Ibn Zayd]

What is the context of revelation for this āyah?

Tafsir

What does ṭāghūt mean?

Tafsir